Shaw Reaping The Benefits Of Senior Tour

March 3, 1993|By HARVEY FIALKOV, Special to the Sun-Sentinel

In the 1960s, ``mod`` Tom Shaw played in the shadow of the Golden Bear and Arnie`s Army on the PGA Tour.

Shaw, 54, is still chasing legends such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Chi Chi Rodriguez. Only this time, it`s on the Senior PGA Tour, which Shaw called ``the Mulligan of Life,`` for golf`s 50-and-over set.

``What else would we be doing?`` asked Shaw, whose has doubled his 30-year PGA earnings in four years on the senior circuit. ``We`d be trying to find a way to play golf anyway. I`m fortunate to be able to be doing what I love.``

In between the regular circuit and the senior circuit, Shaw sustained a broken back, a broken marriage and flirted with fame on the PGA Tour. He also got rid of his bell bottoms with the embroidered rings around the cuffs.

``Ben Hogan thought I was a hippy,`` said Shaw, who lives in Plantation with wife/manager Nancy and boys Randy, 6, and Casey, 7.

His breakthrough year came in 1969 when he went wire to wire and won the Doral Open. He had to shed Palmer on Saturday and Nicklaus on Sunday.

``Beating Arnie and Jack, I was on top of the world,`` Shaw said. ``Nicklaus shot a 64 Saturday and came within a shot. And I`m thinking, I know he`ll shoot another 64. He`s Jack Nicklaus.``

Shaw birdied the first two holes, blitzed the front nine with a 30 and ran away from Jack -- but not the pack.

``I shot a 40 on the back side and won by one over Dan Sikes,`` said Shaw, who still plays selected PGA events, including the Doral Ryder-Open this week (lifetime exemption for past winners).

Shaw`s dimples crease when recalling his slaying of the Blue Monster.

``I remember walking the back nine of the Doral, and it felt like my feet weren`t even touching the ground,`` Shaw said. ``My senses were so keen I could hear the grass grow. I was floating.``

Six months later Shaw won the AVCO Golf Classic. He won two more events in 1971 -- the Bing Crosby National and Hawaiian Open -- two weeks apart; all were on national TV. Shaw held off his hero, a charging Palmer, in both.

``The Crosby followed the Super Bowl and got the biggest golf ratings ever at that time,`` said Shaw, who at 5 feet 10 and 185 pounds is built like a mini-Palmer.

The corporate wooing followed, and Shaw`s stock rose. His game tailed off, but he`s always managed to make a solid living from a sport he`s loved since shagging balls for lessons at 11 back in Milwaukie, Ore.

``I was All-City in three sports,`` Shaw said. ``Of course, we were the only school in the city.``

At 48, Shaw began training in earnest for the Senior Tour and received the confidence boost he needed when he won the South Florida PGA at the Palm Beach Polo Club .

As a 50-year old ``rookie,`` Shaw finished 16th on the money list ($281,393) and won the Showdown Classic in Park City, Utah -- his first tournament victory in 18 years. What made it more special was that Nancy flew up Sunday morning to be at his side.

As the competition on the Senior Tour sharpened, Shaw`s ranking slipped to 26th, 24th, and 45th in an injury-plagued 1992.